English
linch
Linch comes from Old English hlinċ ‘a hill’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *kleng- ‘to bend, turn, wind, twist’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kleng-‘to bend, turn, wind, twist’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hlinkazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hlinkreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hlinċ‘a hill’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500linche
- Englishearliest quotation 1910linch
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kleng-‘to bend, turn, wind, twist’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hlinkazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hlinkreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hlinċ‘a hill’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500linche
- Englishearliest quotation 1910linch
Earliest quotation: 1910, An introduction to the study of local hi: “Within ten years linches were formed; rain washed down…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kleng- ‘to bend, turn, wind, twist’
through Proto-West Germanic *hlink
Today it means
noun A ledge, a terrace; a right-angled projection; a lynchet.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kleng- / linch